


A Good Death Is Hard To Find

by SmutWithPlot



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexual Jesse McCree, Jesse's Mexican Whore, M/M, Noodle Dragons, Pink Hanzo, Sombra is like Jesse's little sister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-06-14
Packaged: 2018-11-13 23:26:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11195676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmutWithPlot/pseuds/SmutWithPlot
Summary: The Death of Jesse McCree gave more answers (and questions) than anyone had anticipated. // Because "Worst Case Scenario" was awful and I felt what's good for the goose is good for... the other goose.





	A Good Death Is Hard To Find

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Longmire, a mystery series about a Wyoming sheriff. Specifically, the Red Pony had an open mic night and one of the guys did a poem about how the cowboys were dying out... and that "a good death is hard to find". I've seen the first couple seasons on Netflix, but it's based on a book series that I hear is absolutely amazing, though I've not read it yet.

Agent Codename: Deadeye, Jesse James McCree. McCree was killed in action during an Overwatch operation, staying behind to cover his compatriots' exit, making sure the payload was delivered, secured and evacuated. He put the job first, and died doing it, which anyone can agree was probably one of his favorite options, if given the choice how he wanted to go out. Old age was option 1, but we don't always get what we want. He was survived by his husband, Hanzo Shimada. They had no children, except for a cat that Jesse had been against from the beginning, only for little Ghost to steal his heart without his consent. As happens.  
When Winston changed McCree's active status to DECEASED, a secondary protocol announced the option to disclose his agent operations fully now, or keep it classified for the prerequisite 50 years that was standard at the time. To add to the intrigue, such a question had to be answered by top level clearance -- Reyes or Morrison or higher. Given the sheer amount of data that had been impossible to mine due to clearance locks, encryptions and general cleverness of the Blackwatch ops, Morrison took the Now option, to see what they could learn. A full schematics of McCree's bio-tech, including Dr. Ziegler's upgrades and modifications over the years, and the deplorably kept up check-ups that McCree was notorious for avoiding. His full criminal record, starting at shoplifting at 12, a standing case of armed robbery from 14, arms dealing and grand theft auto from 15, and known gang affiliations with the Deadlock Gang, headquartered in Santa Fe, NM and throughout the American Southwest. Even his tattoos were labeled with age and description, including the flying skull and lock of the Deadlock Gang that had been on the inside of his left forearm before he lost the limb at the age of 24. The skull on his prosthetic, designed by Torbjorn himself, was listed as a defining feature, and included weak points and strengths. There was a full psychiatric work up, noting a masochistic streak, compulsive lying, addictive behavior, antisocial personality disorder, and a penchant for playing the hero and going off half-cocked when the adrenaline was running high. Noted for being easily persuaded by a 'damsel' in distress, although it was not exclusive to women. A sharp eye and a steady hand were listed on his better attributes, and an intimidating presence. Not the fastest in the world, but they'd still trained him to be damn quick.

There were even full read outs of the three month period he'd been in a coma after losing the arm, and two more in therapy, citing rage, survivor's guilt, and higher suicidal ideation than was even already a problem. He was on suicide watch the entire time, and regularly dosed on antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, pain medications and tranquilizers to repair the physical and psychological damage. It also marked his shooting with his right hand and left, with marks that he was training obsessively, to his own detriment. Request after request to reinstate him as an active Agent, sponsored by Amari, Lacroix and Reyes himself, repeatedly denied by Morrison.

The interview videos of when he'd been interrogated by Reyes as part of the sting operation against Deadlock, which the computers had pretended didn't exist for a long time. Morrison refused to let anyone watch it until he'd checked it first, and promptly ordered Winston to delete it. A second interview video, the official one, with a steaming, beat-up boy and a surprisingly roughed up Reyes discussing his options. Records of him being transferred to Boulder, CO for initiation, to Geneva for formal training. A full list of missions, Overwatch and Blackwatch, with lists of commanding officers and, very rarely, his partners. The Overwatch files they'd had already, but for each blue file, there was a good five black. By the time McCree was 20, he was working as many as two and three missions at a time, juggling on and off as they waited for intel. He was marked with commendations for extractions, both personnel and tech, interrogations, social engineering (both personnel and tech), and for covert surveillance and reconnaissance missions. By 22, he was picking up extermination missions, blackmail, intel drops, more 'delicate' extractions, and more. The files were more redactions than intelligence, but the intel was damning. Even the mission where he'd lost his arm had been an Overwatch mission, but a secondary objective had been added to it -- which, it was noted, he accomplished. Although what it was, exactly, was redacted. An uncharacteristic entry in a sniper's competition while in recovery, rather than the sharpshooter that was his usual. For six months, a variety of extermination and reconnaissance missions, most of them off the blue books and black only. There was even the file for the London Riots, where McCree was given a commendation for activating the channel before the riots went off, but a formal warning was in his jacket for breach of confidence. Jack refused to give anyone the clearance to watch affiliated videos, knowing they would only ruin everyone's opinion of the cowboy.

There was even intel for when the Watch had ended. News sightings in London, Paris, Atlanta, Santa Fe, Tucson, Seattle, Hong Kong, Singapore, Moscow... Everywhere. Bounties and crimes, including three separate bank heists with sightings of that damn hat, and a mark every time his bounty went up. There was even intel on contractors who'd gone after the bounty, and marking their likely last stands against the gunslinger before they were never heard from again.

Athena even had a ping from Dorado when he'd first received the Recall, and could trail him half way to Gibraltar before he arrived.

All of the intel from after the fall of First 'Watch had a hacker's signature that could be traced to Sombra. Which meant that Reaper -- Reyes -- had been keeping his files up to date from afar.

When Tracer and Winston found it, they immediately put the base on lock down in a panick. For three days nothing happened.  
Well, nothing except for the three dozen black roses delivered anonymously to the base on the day of his funeral, with nothing more than a card that read, _Adios, vaquero. Vaya con dios._  And, more strange, his Last Will & Testament.

 _I, Jesse James McCree, of sound mind and body..._  it began. It followed with an apology to Hanzo, and expressed his love to everyone in Overwatch "for being the family I never had growing up". There was a list of addresses, safe houses and hideouts throughout the planet, and a document giving Hanzo Power of Attorney. A sum of money, "a bottle of Patron" and a new hat was to be delivered to a Maria Sanchez at a dive bar in Mexico. There were a number of safehouses in Mexico and the Southwest that he was leaving to "the little girl of my dreams", details and a personal letter for, whoever she was, and an address to deliver it to. There was a letter for Ana Amari, who burst into tears as soon as she realized it was written in Arabic for her. There was one for Angela, in German, and one for Hanzo. A hat for Lena, boots for Lucio, "the biggest jar of peanut butter you can find for the big guy", and all of his antique pistols for Reinhardt. The new guys he would donate to Overwatch, though he warned "some of them aren't exactly legal or clean, so... Be careful." There another large sum of money for Torbjorn "and his broodlings", and he encouraged them to "set that old truck on fire. It's covered in all manner of incriminating evidence, and she won't last you much longer anyhow." For the wake, he requested Tucson Tamales and tequila for everyone, or at least some flancocho. Lucio barked a laugh at that and insisted he had a recipe for flancocho he'd be honored to make. He asked to be buried "wherever you want, baby. Because I wanna be next to you", and Hanzo had to give the letter to someone else to read. Everyone was encouraged to "educate" themselves from his movies and music, although Hanzo had "first dibs" on anything and everything. He asked to be buried in the stupid belt buckle, since no one else ever seemed to like it. He asked them to play Elvis as he went down, and please, someone take care of Hanzo.

He regret nothing more than that he had to leave his dragons. He told Hanzo to give Soba and Udon kisses for him, which Hanzo could not explain through his tears as his brother held him.

His final wish was that someone make a damned smoking patio somewhere and paint it up like the desert for him. And smoke a cigar for his birthday. September, if you didn't know. Jesse James'.

"And by the way... My name was actually Michael."

He was buried under a sakura tree that had been planted on the Geneva base three springs ago for their wedding. They had tacos al pastor and lots of tequila, with flancocho for dessert. After, Genji and Hanzo worked together to introduce their dragons... Soba, Udon and Ramen. Soba floated to Fareeha Amari, who had been wearing Jesse's hat at the time, and blepped insistently in confusion, and Hanzo had to ask for the hat back. Hanzo wore Jesse's serape every day for weeks. Hanzo hand-delivered the package for Maria, and she cried, somehow knowing exactly who he was, and what he had been to Jesse, despite Jesse never mentioning her.

The dream girl... Hanzo arrived at the location, wearing the serape and hat, and a girl in purple tapped his shoulder.

He gasped. "Um... _Perdon_ ," he tried, in Spanish. "I am look for... a girl of dreams?" _Estoy buscando para una chica de sombras._

She laughed. "Sombra, _si_." But her smile was said. "Es para mi?"

He clutched it, jealous. " _Qu-quien es_...?"

"I am 'Sombra'," she said, gentle. "It means 'dream'. It is code."

He looked down at the package, and swallowed. "You knew my Jesse."

"For a long time," she agreed, smiling. "He was like a big brother to me. Dumb big brother."

"Heh," he agreed. And then he blinked down at it. "He's gone now..."

"I know," she said, soft.

He swallowed. "You... Did you send the roses?"

She nodded. "I did. And..." She shrugged. "A couple of my friends."

"...Friends."

"Mm," she agreed. "Kings and spiders." She looked down at the package. "That has my name on it."

Hanzo's lip trembled. "...Kings." His eyes flit up. "You mean Reyes, don't you?"

She tilted her head to one side. "Reyes is gone."

"But you mean him. Don't you?"

She hesitated, hands folding. "...I'm pretty sure instructions said to mail that."

"Yeah, and I am pretty sure you would have kept it if you wanted it discreet. Instead, you gave it to me. And I follow through."

Her eyes regarded him... Careful.

He took a deep breath, holding it. "...I want you to know. I checked these. I wrote it all down. I know all of them." He looked up at her, eyes like a storm. "Know that I give them to you out of respect."

She nodded, not looking at his eyes. " _Yo comprendo_."

He thrust it out to her. " _Chica de sombras_."

She smirked. " _El drago del vaquero_." She hugged it close, regarding him. "I will miss that stupid hat."

He debated for a moment, and offered it to her. She almost flinched.

"Oh, I couldn't," she whispered. A shy smile. "It's not my style... It would break my heart to look at it every day."

He put it back on without a second thought. "You tell him..." But he stopped, and the venom quieted. "You tell him thank you. For everything. Even after it all went bad... He missed him. Spoke only with respsect."

She pretended she didn't know who he meant... but she nodded. "I will."

" _Gracias_." He moved... Telling himself he needed to move before something bad happened and--

" _Drago!_ "

He stopped. He turned. " _Si?_ "

"He never shut up about you," she told him. "You were his world. His _corazon_. Don't waste that."

He clenched his jaw, but nodded. " _Hai_."

And he turned away, trying to respect his husband's wishes. Some secrets were meant to go to the grave.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a headcanon that Sombra and Jesse have worked together in the past (in the abyss between First 'Watch and the recall) and he likes her, and she's kind of a little sister of sorts to him. And now that she's working with Talon and Reyes, she has more intel on him than she used to. But we've seen evidence that she runs her own games, and is not necessarily in Reaper/Talon's pocket. I like to think she keeps tabs on Jesse for her own reasons. And the fact that she works with Reyes is incentive for her to keep her history with Jesse on the down-low. But in respect to that, Jesse also doesn't ask her to spy on Reaper. The fact that she is a double agent and known mercenary is also a big part of why he has not tried to convert her to Overwatch, and never will. It's just not her style.
> 
> Also: the implication is that McCree's name is not Jesse. He was called "Jesse James" McCree for being a god damned cowboy and outlaw, and the Deadlock lads called him either Jesse (as per his earned nickname) or McCree (which was his actual surname). When he was turned to Blackwatch, he refused to give his real named to Reyes, and the lads either didn't really know his real name ore refused to give it, so he was signed on as Jesse James McCree. AlmaMaDuele made a note of this in "Hang The Fool" and I thought it was an appropriate and wonderful twist on a man who quotes Clint Eastwood often enough to be a "man with no name" -- if you've not seen his films (and to be frank, I haven't seen all of them either, just "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly"), Eastwood's character is never actually named, he's just a wandering cowboy. Although Ugly likes to call him Blondie. It's a nice reference that he's given a name that actually isn't his. I picked Michael, after the archangel, who was a warrior for God. I've had a number of Michaels help me in my life, it's a strong name. I feel like it suits his character.


End file.
